Korean Edition of Gadis Kretek Promotes Southeast Asian Literature

Indonesian novelist Ratih Kumala attended a press briefing in Seoul on the 13th to mark the Korean-language release of Gadis Kretek, the seventh title in HanseYes24 Culture Foundation’s Southeast Asia Literature Series. The edition is published under the title Cigarette Girl (original Gadis Kretek), and Kumala spoke at the event alongside Korean and Indonesian officials.

The gathering was held at the Korea-ASEAN Centre inside the Seoul Press Center in Jung District, Seoul. Participants included HanseYes24 Culture Foundation chair Baek Su-mi, Cecep Herawan, Indonesia’s ambassador to South Korea, and Lee Eun-ok, director of information and data at the Korea-ASEAN Centre.

Gadis Kretek centers on the 1960s kretek industry in Indonesia, a traditional clove cigarette business. The story follows a female protagonist named Jeng Ya as she carves out a place in a male-dominated industry, weaving a three-generation epic that spans Indonesia’s Dutch colonial era, the post-independence period, and the tumultuous years of 1965–66, including campus violence and political upheaval. The novel is the basis for a Netflix Original series released in 2023.

Baek Su-mi underscored literature’s ability to “express a country’s breath, its era’s pain, in a deep and nuanced way,” saying the project aims to convey Southeast Asia’s diverse cultural textures to Korean readers. Cecep Herawan described the Korean edition as a milestone for shared history and cultural solidarity between Korea and Indonesia.

HanseYes24 Culture Foundation, established in 2014 as part of HanseYes24 Holdings (the parent company of Hanse Logistics, Yes24 online bookstore and related ventures), has since 2022 prioritized Southeast Asian literature through a dedicated publishing series. The initiative seeks to introduce Southeast Asian culture and arts to Korea and, by extension, to international audiences.

For U.S. readers, the release highlights how Indonesian storytelling—particularly narratives rooted in labor histories, gender roles, and national upheaval—gains global reach through Korean publishing collaborations and streaming platforms. The Netflix adaptation of Gadis Kretek signals growing appetite in American markets for Southeast Asian literature and media storytelling, with potential implications for translation, distribution, and cultural exchange that could broaden access to Indonesian authors and themes in the United States.